Tuesday, December 23, 2008

An Interesting Way to Manage the Slush Pile ...


Author Solutions Announces Partnership with Morgan James Publishing Publisher to Utilize ASI's DIY Publishing Platform.

Bloomington, Ind. (PRWEB) December 22, 2008 -- Author Solutions (ASI), the world leader in the fastest-growing segment of publishing, announced Monday a partnership to provide its dynamic DIY publishing tool Wordclay to publisher Morgan James, The Entrepreneuriial Publisher TM. Through its Persona Publishing self-publshing imprint, Morgan James will offer its customers three new publishing packages.

Morgan James continues to establish itself as a major player in the traditional publishing world, with incredible titles being released each and every month. In 2008, 163 titles were published from over 4,500 submissions from agents, individuals, and organizations. That means that 96% of those who wanted to get published with Morgan James did not realize their dreams.

Now with the introduction of Persona Publishing, a unique, cutting-edge system and self-publishing business model that includes extensive use of the Internet, new printing technologies, and non-traditional features and benefits, Morgan James can help more authors share their ideas, stories, and expertise on a global, professional platform.

From Persona's About Page http://personapublishing.com/ : "Books that perform well with Persona Publishing are considered for publication through Morgan James or one of its many imprints."

--

With the state of the publishing industry these days: layoffs, downsizing, mergers, etc. there is little in the way of cash to go around. Most publishing companies are only backing what they know, the trite and true names and genres, the Harry Potters, the Jane Austin Vampires -- sorry, Twilight -- and the latest "How to fix your fat broke ass and take charge of your miserable life book." Fewer books will be released, that's obvious, and a lot of really good literature will get lost by the wayside. But hey, that's business right. You don't stay in business long these days by taking risks -- we learned that the hard way from the mortgage industry disaster. Common sense has to prevail somewhere...

So now what ... well, with indie authors still plugging away at their art, even with the leather boot of futility kicking them high in the ass-end, there is still money to be made and chances that can be taken with relatively little risk -- actually, none at all to the publishing house. So, sans the risk, I think we might see a bit more of this high-end, affiliated self-publishing situation. It certainly is a win-win for the publishing house. They take your money ... your book gets published and offered for sale in the standard distribution channels. It's been at least glanced over by an editorial eye -- for $1,990 it will be anyway -- and if it performs well, then Morgan James might consider reprinting it with their official Morgan James Logo on it. Even if the book sucks ass, they got paid, and there is enough distance that they won't be embarrassed by it either.

I don't see this as a bad thing, really, providing you've got the cash to spend, the real desire to see your work in print, and the right attitude about indie publishing. This could be an "IN" with a much better chance at notice than the slush pile. Or, it could be just another way for the publishers to make money in dire times, but at least they are thinking outside the "old school pencil-box", so kudos to Morgan James. We have seen this with Matador already, and I see all this as a natural progression for the publishing monarchy. Time to throw out those crusty moth-eaten velvet undies, step off the high horse into the modern age, and for F-sake, get back to real literature. Not every indie author is looking for a back door. Not every indie author is trying to cheat the system. Not every indie author is too lazy to do it the hard way. Self-publishing is extremely difficult, if done right, and not every indie book sucks ass in content or production value. I know, I have reviewed a few over the last couple of years.

So, that is my last rant for 2008 … I have got my own bunched undies to address.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

One last comment before I sign-off for the holidays: As an Indie author myself, I can say that most Indie authors are consumed with their art. We work damn hard at our craft, and we have a vision. We don't want to write the echoes of a stale and stagnant wind. We want to write what we want to write, and we want to write it how we want to write it. For me, at least, it's about the art. I don't want to be censored or controlled in any way. I think most true Indies feel the same way.

Anonymous said...

I just worked with this company. The interior design was awful and had to be totally redone at our expense. I'm not sure the hype is true. You pay $5000 for not very much in the end. They are very slick marketers though.